Families shopping together

I can't speak for everyone else but I hated going food shopping with my mum.
Me and my sisters all hated it my mother would make us go even at the age of 14-16.
Still now I hate it so I do it online.
Never made my own kids come food shopping.
The last time I went to Tesco's I walked out.
Due to two screaming children.
Not babies 5-6 year olds running up and down shouting screaming crying I want I want.
MUMMY.
I thought fuck this and walked out.

This is why I love the flexibility of wfh and being able to go at 10am Monday. Absolute heaven of a time to shop. 😁

I presume this is why the op is up at 6:25 waiting for the supermarket to open.

Oh my goodness, do they piss me off!

Them and the idiots who can see you approaching to grab something, then move their trolley in the way 🙄

If you don't like interacting with other humans shop online.

Completely agree.

It never occurred to me that people would have a problem with this before joining Mumsnet. I find that it’s a great activity for families and there are lots of positive things that a child can learn from a trip to the grocery store.

It’s nice to see families doing normal everyday things like this together.

This. It's ridiculous

"Fun activity"

That's why the kids are screaming and yelling and whining, because they are having "fun".

Does it really baffle you, even after reading all the threads on this subject? What age did you first take your children shopping, to teach them how to do it?

Amazing how many people think others are 'crazy' for not wanting to do things the same way as they do. Some people really have no imagination or ability to consider things from another point of view.

Love going with the kids. Discussing meals and planning. Teaching them about prices and how to shop economically and not fall into price traps. When very little food treasure hunts and getting them to find the apples. Teaching them how to look for fresh produce and looking at fates etc.

It's a huge learning opportunity, if you choose it to be. It's good fun and time together. Chores and daily life admin should include children. Otherwise, how do they learn? Someone has to teach them.

This

This sounds totally different to my experience, which is probably why we see it differently. I don’t care if other people take their kids shopping and see it as nice family time, it doesn’t change my “torture” 😂 Plus the sensory overload and crowd of the supermarket makes it completely intolerable anyway.

My kids used to enjoy coming with us to the supermarket!
They got to look around the toy aisle and add to their never ending Christmas list. They also loved looking at the books and magazines or the clothes, they liked picking things like new pyjamas etc.
I worked/work full time, weekends were insane and spending as much time with the kids as possible was something I wanted to do. We also did the usual days to theme parks, trips to the cinema, bowling, the park etc but unfortunately we still needed to shop for food.
If you really can't stand being around families trying to spend time together maybe get your shopping after 10pm when the kids will be in bed.

If you never take children anywhere, they don't learn how to behave in public.

I don't love supermarket shopping with my DC and don't take them every time, but they do need to see that food has to be bought and paid for, and to learn how to queue etc.

It's just me with the children day to day, so shopping, getting the bus, walking home, putting laundry up, tidying the garden are all chores that involve children.

I don't really see how this is a debate? How is spending more time with your family a bad thing?

It can most definitely be family time.

Shopping HAS to be done in the week. You take your children along. You chat to them, you ask them to help you pick things off the shelf. Maybe you get them a treat at the end.

Completely agree! I know a family that goes supermarket, then butchers and then Costco every single Saturday. Their kids hate it. I couldn't think of anything worse to be doing every Saturday 🙈

Spending quality time with your kids can also include the boring everyday stuff - shopping, hanging out the washing, washing the car etc. Spending time together doesn’t all have to be #makingmemories.

We currently have a thread about why elderly and retired people going shopping on a Saturday, and now we have one about families shopping together.

If you are the sort of person who finds others annoying when you go shopping, then just do yours online - no parking issues, no queues, no other shoppers you find annoying, no having to lug it back.

I don’t care if people go shopping as a family, but for me it’s just a case of why would you want to? It’s not “family time” 😢 (raise the bar on your standards for time together) -
it’s a chore and it’s a stressful pita having kids asking me to buy bloody everything and fighting over the self scanner.

However, it’s something kids have to learn how to do as they’re growing up, so….

Children need to go grocery shopping for all sorts of reasons. Learning practical maths is number one, plus bargain hunting, learning about brands and walking amongst crowds amongst others. Being patient with shoppers that are slower is another important thing to learn.

Supermarket shopping is an important life skill!

YABU.

Maybe it’s the only time they get together- life is so busy. Could be any number of other reasons.

Or maybe like my daughter and nephew, the kids probably enjoy going, so they can load the trolley of unnecessary and expensive shit they say is out of their budget/I wouldn’t buy when I’m alone or doing an online shop.

I'm more baffled that people do things as a couple that requires only one adult. I can see the merit in bringing kids to the supermarket, but bringing my other half AND the kids (unless it's on the way to do something else) is not on my radar. See also, couples doing the school run together. No